Political Communication in Britain Polling, Campaigning and Media in the 2015 General Election

This book offers a unique exploration of the 2015 General Election from the perspectives of those most intimately involved as strategists, journalists and analysts. It features contributions from the rival parties, news and polling organizations as well as academic experts who examine all aspects of the campaign.  A common theme that emerges is the increasing complexity of the democratic process given the development of a more multifaceted party system and a growing fragmentation in mass media audiences. The UK electoral landscape has changed: in 2015 six parties received more than a million votes whereas in the 2010 General Election it was only three. This book provides invaluable insights into contemporary British politics through analysis of an election whose outcome, an outright Conservative victory, surprised many commentators. It will appeal to students and scholars in the fields of electoral politics and media and communication, as well as to practitioners and the wider reader interested in British general elections.

Introduction; the Editors.- Polls; Roger Mortimore and Anthony Wells.- Post-mortem; Nick Moon.- Scotland; Mark Diffley.- Constituency polls; Tom Mludzinski.- Analysis; Murray Goot.- The Poster Campaign; Jeremy Sinclair.- Conservative; Andrew Cooper.- Labour; Greg Cook.- Scottish National Party; Kevin Pringle.- Liberal Democrats; Olly Grender.- United Kingdom Independence Party; Gawain Towler.- Election Coverage: overview; David Deacon, Dominic Wring, James Stanyer and John Downey.- The Gendered Campaign; Emily Harmer.- Regulatory Issues; Adam Baxter.- Election Debates; Ric Bailey and Michael Jermey.- Analysis of the Debates; Clare Emes.- TV Reporting; Michael Crick.- Print Reporting; Joe Murphy.- The ‘Tory’ Press; Ivor Gaber.- Social Media; Dan Jackson and Darren Lilleker.- Twitter; Steven Ginnis and Carl Miller

Dominic Wring is Professor of Political Communication at Loughborough University, UK.

Roger Mortimore is Professor of Public Opinion and Political Analysis at King’s College London, UK, and Director of Political Analysis at Ipsos MORI.

Simon Atkinson is Chief Knowledge Officer at Ipsos MORI, UK.